Dead Man Rising, Journey Into Dawn
by La Belle Etoile
Summary: Evil Saiyan Warriors arrive on Earth and go on a killing spree. The Z-Warriors attain casualties... This affects someone in a way no one knew possible... Read to learn more! PiccoloxOC. Don't shun it just 'cause there's an OC!
1. Chapter 1 Introduction

The days proceed lazily… peacefully… It seems like nothing ever really happens… But I know better.

For some reason, I can sense the bad things that go on around me. Small things or life changing ones... It doesn't really matter.

Sadly, more often than not, I can't do anything about it. So, I do my best to go about my day like a normal person.

A normal lifestyle tends to be difficult, however, when you feel death. Most of the time I'm able to tune it all out, but some deaths are more significant than others… Not necessarily more important. They just have a higher energy, so it's easier to notice when they start to disappear. It's also harder to block out.

But even those I got used to in time. That is, until the day that HE died.

That was a really bad day… Four Significants left this world on that day.

When They landed… those… aliens in the strange capsule-like space ships, I knew that something epic was about to transpire; something that could have changed the fate of the world.

Thankfully, Earth was saved by the Significant Powers. We took many casualties. Numerous lower level humans died. Three Significant humans died along with one that I have yet to decipher… A Significant who wasn't human. He was the last of ours to die and had the most impact on me.

In all my life, through all my unpleasant experiences because of this strange sixth-sense, nothing had hit me as hard as His death.

I cried that day. Harder than I had ever cried in my life. Shedding tears for someone I had never even met. The unbearable pain. Feeling him die, I thought I might die myself.

I would never really find out why his death impacted me so much… Although he wasn't human, it's not like he was particularly special or different from the other Significants. What did it matter if he was an alien?

It mattered a lot actually… His death sent me spiraling into despair and forced me to face feelings I had long since locked away. Because of his death, I would soon begin a journey; a journey that would forever change me.

My name is Mara and I just fell in love with a dead Namekian.


	2. Chapter 2 Searching

A/N: And here is chapter two. Normally I wouldn't post another chapter so quickly, but I already had both 1 and two typed up, sooo.... Yeah. I know this story may seem kinda depressing, but it gets vaguely happier as it goes, so don't give up on me. Obviously, the characters in this story do not belong to me, they belong to Akira Toriyama. Only Mara belongs to me. Thank you, and enjoy...

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After he died, the commotion slowly dissipated. The intruders were defeated and the Earth was safe again. I, however, felt no relief. If only I knew who he was and why his death was causing such bitter despair within me.

Not knowing what to do, I began to wander aimlessly, heading towards what was left of the Significants without even realizing it.

I walked for hours before becoming aware of my surroundings and what I was doing. I quickened my pace as I begin to grasp that I am walking with a purpose.

I finally ended up at a hospital and I could feel the steady pulse of strong energy. Injured energy, but strong nonetheless. Unsure what to expect, I pushed the doors open and stepped into the hospital.

The aura inside was stifling. I had always hated hospitals, since they had a higher abundance of the dead and made it harder to block out.

I pushed through the suffocating atmosphere as quickly as I could and followed the energy I was seeking up several flights of stairs.

When I reached the correct floor the environment became slightly more livable. I strode down the hallway at a slower pace as I tried to pinpoint where They were.

As I reached the doorway I was searching for, I began to hear voices. Fairly loud voices that seemed to be having an argument… _Shouldn't a hospital be more peaceful?_ I wondered.

The door was open, but I knocked anyway and peeked my head in. A room full of faces turned to stare at me with what I could only guess was a mixture of bewilderment and irritation.

Nervously, I cleared my throat. "Er… sorry… for the interruption. I was just hoping to speak with someone about the events that occurred today…"

"And who might you be?" Asked a pissed-off woman in a kimono.

"Chichi? What's going on? Who are you talking to?" Asked a curious male voice. It took a moment to pinpoint him within the mess of people, but when I did I couldn't help but gape.

He was by far the strongest energy I had ever felt. He was also the most injured man I'd ever seen. Clad in a full-body cast was the man that I hoped could answer my questions.

Impatient to get some answers, but knowing I had to be polite to get them frustrated me. I took a moment to compile my thoughts, decided on the best course of action. I came up with this;

"I don't mean to be rude, but can someone tell me about the people that died today?"

Utter shock spread over their faces.

That sounded so much better in my head…


	3. Chapter 3 Meeting the Gang

Hey Folks, how's it going? Hopefully my chapters are starting to get a little longer. I hadn't realized they were so short, since they were originally written out on paper. And everyone knows that when you type stuff up, it's much smaller than it is on paper... x_X

I do not own DBZ, or it's characters. I only own Mara, and the original pieces of this story. Thank you and enjoy. =D

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"Er… I mean…" I stuttered, trying to figure out how to repair the situation. Full-Body Cast Man, however, did the job for me.

"How do you know about that?" He asked from his bed. I blink, surprised by his calm demeanor, but quickly compose myself. I shuffle past the loud woman and kneel beside the man's bed.

"Are you the one that defeated them?" I ask in a quiet voice. He narrows his eyes. The room shivers with anticipation. I tense, knowing I could soon have the answers that I sought.

"Who are you?" He asked, a cautious tone hiding within the question. I take a breath, preparing for the onslaught of questions that I was sure would they would soon berate me with.

"My name is Mara. I can… sense things. I felt your battle as it happened, and I felt them die…" His eyes widen. I feel a mixture of confusion and awe in the air.

"You sensed it?"

"Yes. I sense energies and when they… expire."

"Expire? What does she mean by that?" I hear a young boy say. I turn towards the voice and see a boy that looks very much like the man I am currently speaking with. His son maybe?

"She means son…" Ah, I was right. "That she can feel when people die." I nod.

"Yes. And today I felt several deaths of people with very high energy." I turn back to the man. "One of them is severely affecting my disposition. I sought you out in hopes that you would tell me about him so that I could discover why his death is affecting me so." Full-Body Cast closes his eyes. I feel his energy slowly fluctuate. I believe that he is surveying me, deciding whether I am trustworthy, or simply a nutcase.

His eyes snap open with determination.

"I can tell this is important to you." I nod In agreement. "And you seem to have a good idea about what's going on." I nod again. He grins. "Well alright then. First off, I'm Goku." He frowns. "I'd shake hands, but…" He looks down at his cast and I chuckle.

"Don't worry about it…" We both grin.

"So, anyways…" Goku goes around the room introducing his companions and family to me. He then begins telling the story of the Saiyan invaders Nappa and Vegeta and how he defeated them with the help of his son Gohan, his best friend Krillin, and the four that died.

By the time he finishes this part of the story, I am cozied up to Gohan quite happily. These people are very easy to warm up to, which is strange, since I've always been a very solitary person. Because of my Death Sense, I've never liked to get close to people, because it causes my sense to explode if they die…

But, oddly enough, I don't mind becoming friends with these people. They give off a sense of security…

"So tell me about the four that you lost…" I ask. Suddenly I sense a wave of sadness at my question. Goku, however, is prepared for my question, and answers it without a pause.

"The four that we lost were Yamcha, Chiaotzu, Tien, and Piccolo."

Knowing their names causes the pain of their deaths to increase, since it creates a sense of familiarity to them. One name in particular causes an extremely strong emotional reaction that I am unable to stop…

The tears begin to flow once again, as I am completely powerless to stop them. I am barely able to speak the name that causes them. I choke it out through my sobbing…

"Piccolo…"


	4. Chapter 4 Friends in High Places

Sooo... This chapter is rather short, but there isn't much I can do about, cause I wrote all these out a long time ago, and this is just how the chapters are. Don't hate me.

If you enjoy my writing, then go check out my other story! Especially if you like Supreme Kai.

Don't own DBZ, it's characters, or it's plotline.

Enjoy, favorite, and review, my pretties!!!

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"Why are you crying Mara?" Asked Gohan, aghast.

"I-I'm not sure. This happened before to." I say through tears. "This is what I meant before by my 'affected disposition'." ChiChi hands me a handkerchief.

"Here you go, sweetie…" She can be strangely kind, for such a scary woman… I take the hanky, wipe my eyes, then blow my nose.

"Thanks, ChiChi…"

"It's not a problem, dear. I hate to see you cry like that…" At this, my tears flow more strongly. It's been a long time since anyone's worried about me.

They all wait while I calm down, speaking softly amongst themselves. Krillin sits down beside me and pats my shoulder while Gohan holds my hand.

"I-I'm sorry everyone. I'm n-not always such a b-blubbering idiot." I choke out through my sobs.

"No worries!" Says Krillin cheerfully. "Everybody gets emotional once in a while."

"Yeah, Mara, it's okay to cry." Says Gohan encouragingly. The others nod in agreement.

After a few more minutes, my sobs finally die down and I apologize once again.

"It's really not something you need to apologize for," Says Bulma. "Even I cried when it all happened. Couldn't stop for hours… I'm still not fully over it." She gives me a reassuring smile. It doesn't really help though.

"I haven't cried since I was a child… I'm a woman now. I have better things to do than cry for someone that I have no attachment to." It angered me that I was having these weak moments at all. Balling my fists in frustration, I count to ten and relax slightly. Through gritted teeth I ask, "Who is he? This Piccolo person?" Gohan perks up at this.

"Piccolo's great! He trained me! He's kinda like an uncle." Gohan's smile fades and his gaze drops to the floor. "It's all my fault he's gone…" My eyes widen. I can feel his anguish and the strong connection he had with this man named Piccolo.

I put my arm around his shoulders and squeeze lovingly. "You're good friends with this guy?"

"Yeah, I guess so…" He shrugs, trying to hide his pending tears. He is so adorable that I'm unable to help the wave of maternal instinct flowing over me. I smile down at him softly.

"I can tell you really care for him…" He nods and gives me a small smile. I grin and give him a tight hug.

Surveying the room, I look at all the faces of the people I have become friends with in just a few short hours. A frown suddenly creeps back across my face.

"Can I ask you all something?" A multitude of nods and 'of course's are my answer.

"Why aren't you all still grieving? I don't mean to be rude, but you seem to have gotten over your friend's deaths rather quickly…" They blink at me, then exchange knowing glances and smirks.

"The answer to that would be," Says Bulma, a wicked grin spreading across her face, "Because we're going to bring them back."


	5. Chapter 5 Wish Upon a Dragon Ball?

So... This is shorter than I expected it to be... And I apologize for that... But it's better than nothing, yes? I could've chosen not to update at all, and that would just be plain old mean. Mmhmm.

I don't own DBZ, it's characters, or it's plot. Just Mara, and my original story.

Enjoy, kiddies. :)

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I blink once. Twice. A third time. I open my mouth to speak. Close it for lack of words. Try again.

"What do you mean… 'back'?!" The agitation in my voice is blatant, but I don't care. "Back from the _dead_?!" I ask, one eyebrow raised to extreme heights.

"No. Back from vacation. Of course I mean from the dead!!" I have difficulty finding Bulma's sarcastic humor amusing.

"That's not possible." I narrow my eyes. "This is coming from the daughter of Capsule Corps founder? Aren't you a _scientist_?" She tilts her head.

"Science had nothing to do with it, hun. It's possible. Just ask anyone here." I raise my eyebrow once again, but turn to Krillin who is still sitting beside me.

"Explain." I state, plainly and briefly. Apparently this is funny, since Krillin laughs. Maybe I'm too serious for these people, I don't know…

Krillin takes a breath and begins explaining what Bulma has been rambling about and reveals the existence of the magical orbs known as Dragon Balls. I listen quietly to his story and the bits and pieces that the others add in, amazed at what I am hearing.

"So these… Dragon Balls… They'll bring your friends back?" I question once the explanation has ended.

"Yes."

"And where on earth will we find them?" I ask skeptically. The others exchange another one of those looks.

"Well… Actually…" Krillin starts.

"There are none on Earth." Finishes Bulma. "Not anymore. They lost their power when Piccolo died."

"None on Earth…" I take a moment to let this sink in. "Then how are they at all helpful?!" My voice rises an octave from irritation and I can feel a twitch coming on. Krillin inches away from me and Gohan's eyes grow wide.

"Even though there aren't any here, we know where to find them." Says Bulma calmly.

"Do you now…" My frustration nearing its limit.

"Yeah!" Gohan says, excitement covering his face. "They're on Namek!"

"Namek..?" I ask, confused.

"Yes! That's where Piccolo is from!" I tilt my head.

"Aha… So he's not human after all… That explains a lot…"

"You could tell? Just from his energy?" Asks Goku curiously. I turn to him.

"Mmhm. His energy signature feels differently than that of humans. Much like yourself."

"Mine is different from humans?" Goku cocks his head to the side.

"Of course." I scrutinize him a moment. "You're a Saiyan too, no?" I tilt my head in the opposite direction. Could I have been wrong? "Yours is a little different than those other's were, it's gentler, but it's still the same basic signature."

"Huh. Interesting…" Goku says quietly. "That's quite the gift you have, Mara." He smiles. I snort.

"Gift? More like a curse…"


	6. Chapter 6 A Curse and A Story

Sorry it's been so long since an update. Hopefully I can get a bunch posted this month, since I'm on vacation. Yay, no school for a month! Oh the joys of college vacations...

DBZ and it's characters do not belong to me. Only Mara and my story. Thank you and enjoy.

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"Curse? How so?" Goku asks. I wonder at the best way to explain it without sounding like I'm whining…

"When your friends died… You were sad, yes?" I ask. Goku nods and I look around the room. "You were all at least a bit upset, I'm sure. Devastated or heartbroken even." I feel the uneasiness that this conversation is causing pulse throughout the room. It's painful, bringing up the deaths of loved ones. "Yes, you all know how painful a death can be. Imagine feeling that pain every day, for all of your life, for every person in the world that dies…" I trail off, contemplating it for a moment. The room is quiet. As we stand there in silence, I feel a twinge, which is how I generally feel most deaths now. I look up at them. "I feel them even as we speak." A look of utmost shock crosses Bulma's face.

"You feel that pain? Every day..?" She asks and I slowly nod.

"I've learned to control it. I generally don't feel much pain or sadness anymore. These recent deaths of your friends… These are the first to cause such a strong reaction in a very long time…" I stand and walk over to the window, peering up at the blue sky.

"Who are you and why do you cause me to feel this way…?" I speak my thought aloud. No one answers, knowing that I'm not actually speaking to them.

I stand by the window for a long time. Though it seems like only minutes, I know that it must be hours because when I finally start noticing my surroundings again it is dark outside. The whole time I've stood in front of this window, the others have been quiet. Finally, as I stretch, the room begins to stir, as though time had stopped and was suddenly starting again.

I turn to the others, most of which have fallen asleep or gone home and walk across the room to Goku. He stares up at me, a faint smile on his face. "Hey," He says. "Finally showing some signs of life." I smirk, thinking what an awful joke that could be, and give a sarcastic, "Ha." He grins and laughs.

"Shouldn't you be sleeping? You want to recover don't you?" His smiles fades at the question.

"Of course I do, but I have so much to think about, it's kinda hard to sleep." I frown.

"I hope you aren't losing sleep over me. It isn't worth it, believe me." I hear a soft snore and turn to see Gohan sleeping soundly. A soft smile plays across my lips as I watch him. "He's really sweet, you know. You're lucky to have such a good kid." Goku smiles again. As much of a goofball he is, I imagine the guy must be a great father.

I sit down in the chair next to Goku's bed as he tells me stories about his family and childhood. We sit there talking until light begins to creep through the window and a thought suddenly occurs to me.

"Can you tell me about this Piccolo person?" Goku eyes me curiously.

"That's not the first time you've mentioned him… Why do you want to know?" For reasons I have yet to understand, I feel my face slowly heat up.

"Er… Because I'm curious?" That was _not_ supposed to be a question. I mentally slap myself. What is wrong with me? I clear my throat. "I mean, I'm curious about him, since he's one of your friends that died."

Goku chuckles knowingly, which irritates me, because how could he have a better understanding of my emotions than me? But it's not like I'm going to say anything. After all, he saved my life in a roundabout "I saved the world and thus saved you" kind of way.

"Well, if you're that curious, there's no reason not to tell you." He then begins telling me all about Piccolo's origins. He tells me that Piccolo and Kami, the Guardian of Earth, are really the same being, but that Piccolo is the evil part of Kami. He tells me of how Piccolo was trying to take over the world, but that he defeated the "King". Then he tells me how Piccolo seems to be slowly changing for the better, since he helped protect the Earth and took care of Gohan.

I listen to it all, complete immersed and thoroughly confused by much of it, and lose track of time. On the edge of my seat, I soak up all the information I possibly can, becoming more and more enthralled every second. When he finally finished, my disappointment must be apparent. "All I really know about him is his past. If you want to know what he's like now, you should ask Gohan. He spent the last year with Piccolo and probably has quite a few stories." I perk up at this, filled with a strange kind of excitement that I don't recall ever experiencing before.

Squirming slightly in my chair, I can hardly wait for Gohan to awaken.


	7. Chapter 7 Love in a Muffin

Note: Something weird is going on with my editor... But I really wanted to get this chapter up for you guys. It's pretty long. I hope you enjoy it. Please review, because I love hearing from you guys. DBZ and it's characters do not belong to me, just Mara and my original story. Thank you and enjoy. :)

Having finished telling his stories, Goku finally dozes off. I, on the other hand, am nowhere near sleep. Although I am vaguely drowsy, there is too much information drifting through my head that needs to be sorted through. With that in mind and a pang of hunger beginning to form in the pit of my stomach, I decide to go in search of food while sifting through my thoughts.

I go down the stairs and exit the hospital, walking down the street, taking in my surroundings. I'd been in such a rush to reach the hospital and missed most everything else. Looking around, I notice several small shops and a restaurant or two. Not much is open though, since it's still so early.

I finally find a quaint little bakery that looks quite appealing. Ordering two muffins and a coffee, I sit outside to eat and watch as the sun continues to rise. Once finished, I head back towards the hospital with high hopes that Gohan will be awake when I get back.

Something catches my eye, though, and I stop to look into a shop window. On display is a pale green summer dress. Nothing too fancy, just a cute dress with thin straps and a matching hair ribbon. "Odd…" Why did I notice this particular dress? There were many others on display and I've never really had a preference for green before… But for some reason, this dress appeals to me.

Hearing a bell, I look to my left to see someone walk through the door into the store. Silently, I follow. Once inside, I ask the clerk about the dress and end up trying it on. "I must be going crazy…" I think aloud as I look into the mirror. Tilting my head, I watch myself raise an inquisitive eyebrow. Strangely enough, the green seems to compliment my bright blue eyes. Not to mention how nicely the ribbon contrasts with my stupid red hair…

As if I wasn't enough of a freak already, I had to be born with flaming red hair. The only woman in Japan to have this awful hair color and it had to be me. Sometimes I think the gods hate me.

With a sigh, I walk out of the dressing room, the clothes I had been wearing piled in my arms. The saleswoman smiles and says, "You look gorgeous in that! I have to admit, I didn't think anyone would be able to pull that dress off, but you look amazing!" Embarrassed, my gaze drops to the floor as I blush.

"Er… Thanks… I think…" As I stare at my feet, I realize I am still wearing my ratty old sneakers. I glance back up at the woman. "You wouldn't happen to have any shoes that would go with this, would you?"

After nearly twenty more minutes of looking at shoes, I finally settle on a pair of white sandals that tie with ribbons that nearly reach my knees. Paying for the clothes, I walk out of the store wearing them, feeling quite please with my purchase. The dress did seem to look good and I had needed a clean change of clothes anyways.

After reaching the hospital, I quickly make my way back to the Son's room, eager to be with my friends again, and especially excited about the stories I was about to pry from Gohan. As I walk in, he is only just opening his eyes. I look around to see that Goku is still snoring and ChiChi is curled up on a chair in the corner.

I smile as I stroll across the room, my dress swishing against my legs. "Good morning, Gohan." I say quietly, so as not to disturb the others. Yawning, he returns with a groggy "morning" and rubs his eyes. I sit on the edge of the bed near his feet. "I brought you something." I place a paper bag on his lap that had the logo of the bakery I had found on the side. "Breakfast." He smiles sleepily and reaches into the bag, pulling out the extra muffin that I had gotten just for him. Seeing that it is chocolate, his smile widens and he takes a big bite.

"Fanks!" He says through his full mouth and I giggle. Once he scarfs down the muffin, I giggle once again, but this time at his chocolate covered face. "Here." I say, handing him a napkin from inside the bag. He laughs and wipes his face.

"Thank you! That was really good."

"You're very welcome," I smile. "How are you feeling?" He thinks about it and then grins.

"Pretty good, actually!"

"That's good," I pause, tilting my head slightly. "Say Gohan, I have a bit of a favor to ask of you." His eyebrows shoot up.

"A favor? From me?"

"Yes. I was wondering if you could tell me about Piccolo."

"That's it?"

"Uh huh." I hold my breath.

"Well, that's easy!" He says with a grin. I let out my breath with a sigh. Preparing myself for more stories, I pull my legs up onto the bed, wrapping my arms around them, and resting my chin on my knees. Gohan inhales and begins, "Piccolo started training me one year ago… After Raditz was defeated and my dad died, Piccolo took me away to train me for when the other Saiyans would come." I blink.

"Wait…" My eyes widen. "Your dad? _Died?!_" My jaw drops.

"Yeah, but we wished him back with the Dragon Balls." Gohan says, unsure why I am so shocked. I close my mouth.

"So they really exist… And can bring people back from the dead…"

"Of course," He replies. I contemplate this a moment. Is that really okay…? Shouldn't the dead _stay_ dead? But I do really want to meet him… this… Piccolo person… On that thought, I re-focus. "I'm sorry Gohan, please continue." He nods and takes another breath.

"Piccolo took me to an island and left me there for a few months. He said that if I couldn't survive on my own then I wasn't worth training. So he left me to fend for myself." I narrow my eyes at this. What a jerk, leaving a poor defenseless kid alone in the wilderness. But, for some reason I couldn't help but agree just a bit. If Gohan couldn't survive on his own, there's no way he could have faced those Saiyan bastards. Besides, Gohan seemed fine now. I'm sure it was a good for him to have that experience.

"At first, I had a really hard time with it, but after a few days, I realized Piccolo really wasn't coming to help me. So I did what I could and started to get stronger. When Piccolo decided it had been long enough, he came back for me, and the real training began. It was way harder than living on my own had been!" I tilt my head in amazement. This guy had put poor little Gohan through hell, and yet he really loved the guy. I could see it in his eyes; he was filled with admiration for his teacher. It was quite fascinating.

"Piccolo was really relentless in his training and wouldn't cut me any slack. He was always pushing me past my limit."Gohan continues telling me all about his crazy year with Piccolo, and the longer I listen, the better I seem to understand the guy. Just knowing seems to ease the pain that is still nagging at me just beneath the surface of my control and a warm feeling of content slowly spreads through my mind.

When ChiChi wakes up, the stories come to a halt. "He needs to study." She says, and that is that. In my opinion, it had more to do with her not wanting Gohan thinking about Piccolo, but who am I to judge?

Goku sleeps for a few more hours, Gohan studies, ChiChi spends her time knitting, and I mostly contemplate the things I have learned about the elusive Piccolo. _He puts on a mean front, but underneath, he's really rather kind. He just doesn't want anyone to know…_ I think to myself. He seems like a bit of an enigma. I don't really understand it, but I sure as hell want to…

Things continue like this for a few days. Gohan and I talk until ChiChi forces him to study. Goku and I joke about the stupidest things, which generally leave me on the floor gasping for breath. Once in a while I hold a conversation with Krillin. Other than that, I just stare out the window pondering things.

Then one day, Bulma finally shows back up, bursting through the door with a triumphant look upon her face. "Pack your bags, kiddies! We're going to Namek!"


End file.
